Morrisville Schools May Close Over PA Budget Impasse: Superintendent

MORRISVILLE, PA — The Morrisville School District may have to shutter schools and cease operations if the state budget impasse is not resolved in the immediate future, the schools superintendent said.

Morrisville Schools Superintendent Andrew J. Doster informed Morrisville families that with Monday marking 126 days without an approved state budget and 34 days without a federal budget, the school district may have to take drastic measures.

Doster has set a date of Jan. 30, 2026, for a shutdown.

He said the district would be forced to temporarily suspend all school district operations with the closure impacting all in-person and virtual instruction, transportation, food service, athletics, arts, and support services.

Doster said he met with school staff on Monday to explain the current situation and outline the potential next steps.

"As a district that relies on state funding for more than half of its operating budget, the absence
of this critical revenue stream has put Morrisville in an increasingly difficult financial position," Doster said. "Our district is now at a point where very difficult decisions must be made for our immediate future."

Over the past several months, he said the school district has used "every available tool" to stretch its resources, including delaying payments and freezing expenditures.

"We are currently operating with less than 50 percent of our annual revenue available, due to the state and federal budget impasses," Doster stated. "Unless we receive our state funding that is owed to the district since August, by mid-January, we will be unable to meet payroll and operational costs.
No one wants this outcome, and it can be avoided. If the Pennsylvania General Assembly approves a budget, these drastic measures would no longer be necessary."

The school district has the Grandview Elementary School and Middle/High School.

Doster said he will inform students in grades 3–12 in two assemblies to discuss the situation in a developmentally appropriate way.

"This update reflects the current financial outlook discussed with the Board of School Directors," the superintendent said. "We are united in our goal to keep our schools open"

The school board will meet on Nov. 19 to review the financial forecast again and begin discussing additional short-term strategies in case funding remains delayed.